Stormy Shore
"If I was weak, it was the weakness of pride. Time has shown that to be well-founded, however." Event You walk along the seashore on a dark, stormy night. A lone gull squawks overhead. Drowned out by the crashing of the waves and rumble of the sky, a coven of mages chant something low and ominous. Dark clouds gather overhead as a mage raises a sceptre to the heavens. With a crash, lightning strikes the sceptre. The mage falls down, dead. The chanting increases in fervour as another mage steps up to heft the sceptre skyward. As you approach, the mages move to make space for you. "Ah," the mage holding the sceptre greets you. "Another believer seeking the sceptre's ligh-" Whatever he was going to say next is cut short by lightning and his subsequent death. Another mage takes the sceptre, but instead of raising it to the sky, he presses its cold metal into your hands. The player acquires The Sceptre. The player acquires the Sceptre's Curse. The coven watches you expectantly. 1) Lift the sceptre to the night sky. :You squeeze your eyes shut and raise the sceptre over your head. :Lightning strikes the sceptre and a white light fills your vision. Energy courses up your arm - your very insides feel like they're aflame. :The player draws 3 Life Pain Cards. :The player gains 8 Fame. :Then it's over. The light fades and you find the remaining mages scattered across the beach. :You think them dead until one, half submerged on the shoreline, raises an arm, weakly. :The mage wheezes some final words. "Do not..." he coughs, his final breath approaches. "...do not throw this sceptre into the portal...whatever you do..." :A) Continue on your journey. ::Encounter ends. :B) Look around a little more. ::You scour the shoreline for anything of use. ::Chance Cards Gambit (2 Success, 1 Failure, 1 Huge Failure, medium difficulty) ::Huge Success (only possible with Eternal Hope) :::You find a shipwreck loaded with treasure. :::The player draws 4 Gain Cards. ::Success :::You climb a lighthouse and take in your surroundings. :::All Encounters on the map are revealed. ::Failure :::A rogue wave hits the shore and sweeps you out into the ocean. :::The player draws 1 Pain Card. ::Huge Failure :::A rogue wave hits the shore and sweeps you out into the ocean. :::The player draws 2 Pain Cards. ::You continue on your journey ::Encounter ends. 2) Run for it. :Enraged, the mages fling spells at you. :Dice Gambit (Target: 18) :Success ::The sand beside you explodes with arcane energy. Crackling orbs of blue and violet snap past, barely missing you. :Failure ::The player draws 3 Life Pain Cards. ::A ball of arcane fire, red as blood, strikes you in the back. ::You double over in pain, but force yourself to continue running. :You run and run, and, after some time, the mages fall behind and lose you. :The player gains 2 Fame. :Encounter ends. Category:Encounters Category:Challenge-Specific Category:The Star Category:Brimstone Cards Category:Brimstone Encounters Category:Chance Cards Gambits Category:Dice Gambits